Hey guys. I am new here as a member, but have been browsing around for a few months...
Anyway, I just wanted to ask if anyone knows anything about the future Maxima and Altima, 2002 model year? I hear that they are making a 3.5L V6 engine for the Altima with 260HP!! Also, the I30 will no longer be I30, rather I35. A redesigned front grill too, so I guess a new grill for the Max?!?? Don't know what the engine specs are for the new 2002 Maxima, but should be sweet!!

What do you guys think.
Ltr

 

Chuvak... yeah this is been discussed quite a bit since Friday in the main and 5th gen forum. Try the search feature. Too summarize, some are ****ed they will be beat my Altimas', some are ****ed that their values will go down this fall, and some are trading in for either the Altima or Maxima with the VQ350DE.

 

I want a QV350DE!

 

I didn't realize p $ * s e d was a banned word. (Used frequently at my work.) Is there a list of banned words I can reference? I know the George Carlin 7 words, but need help with the minor offensive words.

 

Sorry guys! I missed that topic...

 

Lets turbo that baby!

 

Punkdork... any plans to trade-in this fall? I'm getting better equity-wise, but I still have a ways to go. I'm thinking of doing the tradeup to an Altima or Maxima, even though it would be an unwise financial move.

 

Turbo'ing a VQ350DE would be devastating. Imagine the amount of air and fuel used to run the car.

Pssttt... I don't think Paul notices yet.

 

Ahhh... missed that. Definitely would be awesome. Torque steer would be like a carnival ride.

 

I'm selling my Maxima ASAP. I won't be getting another Nissan, EVER. Nissan definitely burned a bridge with me over this move. Ironic that my car has to go back to service for yet another issue just as Nissan's Altima announcement released.

 

What are you getting?

 

I'll trade if they make the 6sp with at least 260hp, a better suspension (especially for the rear) and I still wanna have a VLSD. It would be nice if they added some more luxo features from the I30, like the dual front window auto up/down (which BTW the Pathfinder has), memory seating (which BTW the Quest has!, yes Quest) and maybe even a Navi (not totally necessary). If the new one doesn't have more gadgets then it'll have prove itself as a far better performer. Otherwise I'll save and my next car might be a Bimmer 540i 6spd. (I'm very demanding!)

BTW, do any of u guys know if the VLSD in my AE improves torque steer at all, mine seems to be ok.

 

I've decided to just live with my max for a few years and enjoy modding it. With the amount of money I'd lose I could throw some serious mods on this car and have a lot of fun.

 

I have a SE, and went to test drive the AE, because I was considering trading in for a stick shift. Anyways, I definitely noticed the VLSD. I was pretty shocked with the handling of the AE, compared to my SE. I was also ignorant of the VLSD when I took the test drive, so I was pretty disappointed that the handling of my car wasn't as good, and began thinking Nissan may have "accidentally" given me a SE without the "sport" suspension

 

I'm beginning to think about doing some type of boost instead. I'm already negative $3000 equity at best. And then I have to start my payments all over again. I have 16 months paid off already. My only concern is if my tranny can survive the boost. Level 10 will solve that. But now I'm talking major dollars. Now I've come full circle. What kind of mods are you thinking of?

 

What difference in particular did u notice about the VLSD and was it a BIG difference?

 

I passed up a new WRX for my new (used) max. I just couldn't bring myself to pay new price for a car that I'm going to put 40+k per year on. I'm glad that I went for the Maxima though. It suits my needs much better anyways.

 

I'm not going to get anything. I'll just drive my company car Taurus. The Maxima motivated me to take on a car payment even though it was totally unnecessary since my Taurus costs me nothing. Not even gas. But... since Nissan pulled this stunt I figure I'll show an equal amount of disloyalty by selling my car and not buying another Nissan.

Nissan said during the Altima release that when they "asked customers what they want customers said the Maxima was too big and the Altima wasn't big enough". When did the Maxima become noticeably larger than Accord, Camry or Taurus? That is the biggest bull**** excuse. I can't believe Nissan would say some garbage like that.

Nissan should have scrapped the Altima. It's a dumb name for a car anyway. They should have introduced an entirely model that is larger than the Maxima. That would have been a reasonable solution in my opinion. That way, they could have retained the Maxima name, continued to compete with Camry and Accord and still retain its image as your unconventional family sedan.

I honestly hope Nissan proves me wrong with the next gen Max. Everyone is talking about all the potential luxury/performance features that they envision for the next gen Max. But get this, if they put all that stuff in the Max it becomes an I30. Why would Nissan do that? Only two things could happen as a result, the Max goes way up in price... basically forcing it to knock at the door of the luxury car segment. Or, it cannibalizes the I30/I35. I don't see it happening.

I do see Toyota Avalon, Mercury Marquis or Chevy Impala coming out of this though. Oh, and one other thing to think about... Honda has plans to introduce an Avalon rival as well. I'd like to hear what everyone has to say when they introduce the next gen Granny Maxima.

This is the end of Maxima as we know it. They're passing the torch to Altima. What a joke!!

 

If you think about it, boosting your Max will be better than getting a new car. You have no idea what problems will occur in the first year of a redesign (i.e. our cars). Stillen seemed to have fixed most of the major problems relating to the SC, so give it a some time for them to work off all the bugs.

Let's see... $2100 for a Level 10 rebuild, torque converter, and VB recal. $3500(?) for the V2 supercharger. Let's say install for the Level 10 stuff will run you $1200 and SC installation will run you $900. So the total is $7700.

For 80 hp at the wheels and a bullet proof tranny, I think that's a good deal.

 

$7700 if you do it right and maybe a little less if you do some more modest improvements. Now if I trade in my Maxima I'm adding $3000+ to my new loan + $8000 in lost payments = $11,000. I thought $7700 was a lot until I figured out my trade-in option. I want IRS though! and I want a 6 speed! and I want a warranty! So that evens the playing field a little. Decisions, decisions.

 

$11,000?!?!

 

Sure! If you add up my past payments up until trade time + tacking on the negative equity... a whopping 11 grand.

 

Well on my SE, when cornering, there is not much traction. Feels as if my rear end is gonna swing around, and there is also alot of body roll. The AE handles much better, IMO. But I guess that's only appliable when you are accelerating. The test drive course I took consisted of alot of twisties. And I was driving pretty hard... scared the sh** outta the salesman . But in the AE, there is not as much body roll, and the VLSD helps the tires grip the road MUCH better, IMO.